A must-visit hidden gem, the Bushman Café has made a name for itself as one of the most atypical hotels, restaurants, bars and cafés in Abidjan. From its owner's art collection to its villa setting among voluminous vegetation, the Bushman Café has all the marks of a place that likes to mix genres. It's a curiosity to discover for tourists passing through Côte d'Ivoire's economic capital.
People talk about the Bushman Café as a must-visit place in Abidjan. This restaurant, bar and hotel opened in 2016 in a two-storey building in the Riviera M'Badon neighborhood in the east of the city.
On the rooftop of the villa, among trees and foliage, patrons enjoy original cocktails made with lime, bissap or passion fruit juice. The restaurant's menu is a clever mix of Afro-fusion cuisine, with braised chicken, camel steak or the "gaou" hamburger, a great curiosity on the menu that is sure to intrigue food lovers.
Prices start at 2,000 West African CFA francs (around $3.35), making this restaurant a favorite among the country's wealthier classes, as well as expatriates and tourists, although on some evenings, service can be slowed down by the place's popularity.
At nightfall, on the terrace, Afro-house music provides the soundtrack to lively groups of customers and intimate conversations between lovers, come to enjoy the setting.
An exceptional place in Abidjan, the Bushman Café is unlike any other restaurant in the city.
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An open-air museum
As soon as you set foot inside, the surroundings stir up curiosity. A pool borders the path between the gate and the reception. It is surrounded by banana and palm trees, giving the impression that you're deep in the jungle. Passing through the door, a long corridor is filled with sculptures, statues, other works of art and curios -- the treasures of the collector and diplomat, Alain Kablan Porquet.
It was this man, nephew of the former Côte d'Ivoire President Laurent Gbagbo, who opened the Bushman Café almost six years ago. He made this place a concept venue by exhibiting the pieces from his art collection, which he regularly renews. Paintings, tapestries, statuettes, masks and other carved objects are placed all along the way leading to the roof terrace.
In 2018, the founder told Jeune Afrique that the establishment was initially conceived as a place where journalists, artists and nomads in general could come to unwind, meet, share, talk... A view confirmed by French expatriates in Abidjan.
The Bushman Café is an unconventional place, since it offers -- like some restaurants in the West -- an arty and trendy "concept" thanks to good food and an unusual setting. By offering a relaxing environment amid all kinds of artifacts, this hotel and restaurant has managed to adhere to the codes of hybrid places, where fashion, cuisine and art intermix.
